Life in Silver Linings

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Jumping through the hoops

Without being arrogant, when you’re a mature student, all the jumping through hoops gets tiresome. If only I’d known what I wanted to do when I was 15 and could’ve got on with this way back then (though to be fair, the steps I took were the pathway that led me here, and there’s not much of it I’d change, given the experiences and learning I’ve had along the way).

But college is rightfully set up to cater to those who’ve just left school. And I totally appreciate the life skills and basic information that the course is trying to impart to these innocents. But as someone who’s been in the workplace for a decade, these things are old hat and beginning to grate a little (a 3rd 2-hour lesson on the very basics of health and safety when I used to write policies on the stuff for the company I worked for!)

But I wonder whether there isn’t another life lesson in all this – that in life there will always be hoops to jump through and that the outcome can be as altered by your attitude as by whether or not you make the jump. Its been an interesting year and a bit since I started the course and it is increasingly obvious that of those who’re in a similar position to me, the ones who get the most positive response from teachers and professionals are those who are prepared to jump quietly and effectively through the hoops, whereas those who get dragged through backwards shouting the odds have not developed the same positive working relationships. The students bitch about them more, too.

So while I’m all for sticking it to The Man, perhaps there is a case to be argued for developing an attitude which allows you to jump throught the inevitable hoops with good grace, showing willing and making friends along the way.